Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes

Bible Text: Luke 18:1-8 | Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes | When I was serving St. Andrew’s in Victoria I spent one day a week at the University of Victoria as the Presbyterian Chaplain. The Multi-faith department was a joy to work in because I not only got to spend time in academia but also got to know the other 13 chaplains well. There were numerous Christian chaplains as well as Baha’i, Muslim, Jewish, and Buddhist chaplains and we all got together once a month to discuss how we were going to help in the well-being of the students. I worked most closely with the United Church chaplain, The Rev. Henri Locke, especially in a Meditation group that met twice a week. Henri’s story about how the group started always interested me. In the 1990s Henri decided to start a simple meditation club. Similar to our centering prayer style, the people were encouraged to sit in silence for 20mins and to attempt to centre their minds on a simple phrase, word or thought. A total of five students showed up to that very first meeting, and as often happens with students’ busy lives, those five fell off midterm to three, then two, then none. But Henri decided to continue meeting in the chapel whether anyone showed up or not. Each year in September about five students would show up, and by April Henri would be meditating by himself. For nearly twenty years this was his pattern but Henri took those opportunities to pray, to meditated and to hope that one day this program would grow. Then one September about 8 years ago Henri opened up the chapel and began to set up for the usual five, but had to get out more cushions because more people began to arrive, then they had to move into the larger chapel because they were too big for the side room, and then they ran out of chairs. Over 70 students showed up for meditation that day. And to this day there are an average of 70 students, staff and faculty who come together to sit in silence for twenty minutes and for many of them it is a highlight of their week. But imagine, if Henri had not been persistent, imagine if Henri had decided to stop the program when the people stopped coming. Persistence and prayer helped establish the UVic Multi-faith department’s most successful program.

Persistence is today’s theme. The Rev. Lara Scholey, a former convener of the PWS&D committee ties in this idea of persistence with the parable of the widow and the unjust judge in the resources for this Sunday.   In the parable of the widow and the unjust judge, the widow does not have much chance. Once her husband is gone and her brother-in-law is not willing to take care of her, she loses her home, her possessions and her identity. Jesus says she goes to the unjust judge and pleads her case. She prays for justice, she nags for justice, she perseveres for justice.  Where did she learn such perseverance? Widows had zero rights and the fact that this widow approaches the judge unattended by family highlights that she is extremely vulnerable, but instead letting sleeping dogs lie, she persists in her pleas for justice. The widow summons God’s help, and nothing is going to stop her.

The judge is also an interesting character. The title of the parable lets us know that the judge is unjust but the content of the parable says he “neither feared God nor had respect for people.” Isn’t it interesting that fear of God and respect for people is equated to justice. But what is also unique is that this judge’s personality is not swayed by the widow; rather he gives in because he is annoyed. The judge gives in, not because he cares about justice, but because she is wearing him out. The judge says, “I will grant her justice so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.” In the original Greek the judge’s words could more accurately be translated as, “I will grant her justice so she does not come and punch me in the eye or give me a black eye!” This judge may not fear God but he’s afraid that this vulnerable widow is going to beat him up! The widow’s pleas for justice create sufficient pressure to influence another person’s actions.

This parable is framed by themes of prayer and faith. The whole story begins because Jesus wants to teach a lesson about prayer and not losing heart. Jesus also ends this parable with a question on faith. Will the son of man find faith on earth? Yet the main focus, for five verses, is on justice. But these three things are not separate. In order for justice to be realized one must have faith that prayer works.

Jesus told this story when the disciples were losing heart. The parable reminds them and us that if this poor widow with no standing can ultimately wrangle justice out of a judge without honour or fear of God, how much more will you and I- God’s own children, beloved of God, how much more will we find a God who will hear and answer prayer. If even the most unjust of judges finally relents then how much more will God, who is a good judge, answer our prayers. The parable brings up God’s goodness and eagerness to bless. This should serve as encouragement to those who fight for justice and it should serve as encouragement to us to walk with those who fight for justice. Sometimes it takes persistent behaviour to effect change. And the Bible persistently insists that God gives special attention to those who are most vulnerable- which means if we want to be doing God’s work we must be persistent in our pressures upon the powers that be to induce change.

Persistence is the story of Presbyterian World Service and Development. As mentioned it was in the wake of World War II that the national church decided to respond to worldwide need. In 1947 the General Assembly asked (and I quote), “That our people be called upon to hear and respond to the cry of the British and other European peoples in their desperate need for food, clothing and practical help; and that in the spirit of David who would not offer to the Lord that which cost him nothing, we who are so richly blessed in this Dominion endeavour to make some real sacrifice for our brethren’s sakes.” The Board of Evangelism and Social Action created a subcommittee and with the help of the World Council of Churches in the first five months of the committee’s work 57 tons of clothes were shipped to Great Britain, Germany, France, Greece and Japan. For the following 30 years missions and calls to action spread to other regions including Africa and Asia. In 1980 the committee changed its name to Presbyterian World Service and Development or PWS&D as it sought “to place major emphasis on development aid which enables people to permanently improve their living conditions.” Currently PWS&D works with partner organizations like the Canadian Foodgrains Bank and Canadian Churches in Action, in 16 countries. And talk about persistence, these programs include things like maternal health in Afghanistan, agriculture projects in Tanzania, economic development in  Guatemala and human rights advocacy work in the Philippines. Over and above all those projects is emergency relief  work  which most recently responded to needs in Yemen but over the last year has included the Rohingya Refugees, Syrian Refugees and aid in Northern BC following forest fires. The breadth of generosity of Canadian Presbyterians is far reaching and it is all thanks to persistent work.

When we see everyone as children of God, and when we persevere, the world looks different. Survivors of natural disasters receive food, water and shelter. Rohingya refugees displaced in a camp in Bangladesh are provided with healthy food for their families while they wait and hope that they will one day be able to return home. Mothers and babies survive and thrive in Afghanistan through persistent and ongoing health support. Refugee claimants and asylum seekers are welcome to Canada. We are called to be persistent in building relationships, especially with those most vulnerable, because we are all children of God. Amen